M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The resurrection

16 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices so that they could come and anoint Jesus. ² Then, very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb, just at sunrise. ³ They were saying to one another, “There’s that stone at the door of the tomb—who’s going to roll it away for us?”

⁴ Then, when they looked up, they saw that it had been rolled away. (It was extremely large.)

⁵ So they went into the tomb, and there they saw a young man sitting on the right-hand side. He was wearing white. They were totally astonished.

⁶ “Don’t be astonished,” he said to them. “You’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been raised! He isn’t here! Look—this is the place where they laid him.

⁷ “But go and tell his disciples—including Peter—that he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You’ll see him there, just like he told you.”

⁸ They went out, and fled from the tomb. Trembling and panic had seized them. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Two extra endings

[[They gave a brief account to the people around Peter of what they had been told. After this, Jesus himself sent out from East to West, through their work, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.]]

⁹ [When Jesus was raised, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first of all to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told the people who had been with him, who were mourning and weeping. ¹¹ When they heard that he was alive, and that he had been seen by her, they didn’t believe it.

¹² After this he appeared in a different guise to two of them as they were walking into the countryside. ¹³ They came back and told the others, but they didn’t believe them.

¹⁴ Later Jesus appeared to the eleven themselves, as they were at table. He told them off for their unbelief and hardheartedness, for not believing those who had seen him after he had been raised.

¹⁵ “Go into all the world,” he said to them, “and announce the message to all creation. ¹⁶ Anyone who believes and is baptized will be rescued, but people who don’t believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will happen around those who believe: they will drive out demons in my name, they will speak with new tongues, ¹⁸ they will pick up serpents in their hands; and if they drink anything poisonous it won’t harm them. They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get better.”

¹⁹ When the Lord Jesus had spoken with them, he was taken up into heaven, and sat down at God’s right hand. ²⁰ They went out and announced the message everywhere. The Lord worked with them, validating their message by the signs that accompanied them.]

Commending Phoebe, greeting friends

16 Let me introduce you to our sister Phoebe. She is a deacon in the church at Cenchreae. ² I want you to welcome her in the Lord, as is proper for one of God’s people. Please give her whatever practical assistance she may need from you. She has been a benefactor to many people, myself included.

³ Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Messiah Jesus. ⁴ They put their lives on the line for me. It isn’t only me, but all the Gentile churches, that owe them a debt of gratitude. ⁵ Greet the church in their house as well.

Greet my dear Epainetus; he was the first fruits of the Messiah’s harvest in Asia. ⁶ Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. ⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and fellow prisoners, who are well known among the apostles, and who were in the Messiah before I was. ⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. ⁹ Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in the Messiah, and my dear Stachys. ¹⁰ Greet Apelles, who has proved his worth in the Messiah. Greet the people from the Aristobulus household.

¹¹ Greet my relative Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the household of Narcissus. ¹² Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet dear Persis, who has done a great deal of work in the Lord. ¹³ Greet Rufus, one of the Lord’s chosen, and also his mother—my mother too, in effect! ¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the family with them.

¹⁵ Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, Olympas too, and all God’s people who are with them. ¹⁶ Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the Messiah’s churches send you greetings.

Warnings and greetings

¹⁷ I urge you, my dear family, to watch out for those who cause divisions and problems, contrary to the teaching you learned. Avoid them. ¹⁸ People like that are serving their own appetites instead of our Lord the Messiah. They deceive the hearts of simple-minded people with their smooth and flattering speech. ¹⁹ Your obedience, you see, is well known to all, and so I am rejoicing over you. But I want you to be wise when it comes to good, and innocent when it comes to evil. ²⁰ The God of peace will quickly crush the satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

²¹ Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you greetings, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives. ²² I, Tertius, the scribe for this letter, greet you in the Lord. ²³ Gaius, who is host to me and the whole church, sends you greetings. Erastus the city treasurer sends you greetings, as does another brother, Quartus.

Final blessing

²⁵ Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel, the proclamation of Jesus the Messiah, in accordance with the unveiling of the mystery kept hidden for long ages ²⁶ but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings, according to the command of the eternal God, for the obedience of faith among all the nations— ²⁷ to the only wise God, through Jesus the Messiah, to whom be glory to the coming ages! Amen.